A Week of Birthdays

This week was filled with birthday celebrations.  Mike's birthday was on the 22nd and my mom's birthday is today, the 24th.  I wanted to make sure we did something special to celebrate each birthday.

Mike began his birthday by sleeping in until 8, which is a huge treat in our house.  E and I made him pancakes and sausage for breakfast and then we spent the day at the Children's Museum.  We went to the Children's Museum last year for Mike's birthday and we thought it would be a fun family tradition continue.   There was hardly anyone there so we were able to enjoy all the exhibits without dealing with crowds; there are a few positive things with my weekend work schedule.

           Having fun at the water tables.    

Operating the crane

Art Project: putting tissue paper in the giant
chicken wire fish.

That night, Mike and I tried a new restaurant for dinner, Red Cow.  It's fairly new and has become known for their gourmet burgers and wine on tap.  I of course didn't enjoy the tap wine but it's always fun to look at the list and plan for a post Baby 2 visit.  We both loved our meal, the service was great, and it's a fun atmosphere.  We'll definitely go back.  Thanks to Auntie Andrea for babysitting E!

Happy Birthday my love!

Mike's birthday celebration continues as he heads up north for some ice fishing this weekend.  It doesn't sound like my type of fun, especially when temperatures are in the single digits or below 0, but he seems to enjoy it.

While Mike is away, my mom or "Gammy" as E calls her, is up for the weekend.  We celebrated Gammy's birthday with a stop at Caribou, pedicures, and a nice relaxing lunch. It was nice to have some Mom/Daughter time and she's ALWAYS taking me to lunch or shopping so I wanted to take her out on her special day.

Fresh pedicures! 

It's been a fun week of celebrating and I hope my loved ones enjoyed their birthdays!

Kidless Days

It's too quiet, it's too clean, and I have too much free time.  We've been without E for 4 days now and it's starting to get weird.  It all started last weekend when the flu infested our house.  First me, then E, then Mike.  And of course Mike got it when I had to work.  I had already missed a week of work when I had the flu and I couldn't miss more.  Thankfully, my mom and dad were able to take E for the weekend while Mike recovered and I worked.  We were supposed to drive down to their house today so we could finally see E and spend the rest of the week with my parents but the lovely winter weather stopped us.  We will leave first thing in the morning because I'm ready to see my little E's face!

As much as I miss E, I do admitt that today was nice.  Once we made the decision not to drive to Iowa, Mike and I made the most of our kidless day.  We had a mini Breaking Bad marathon, took naps, and went out for a leisure dinner.  Usually when we go out to eat we hurry because who knows how long E will stay put.  It was nice for a change to just relax and take our time as we ate our meal.

But, Mike and I are both ready to put the kidless days behind us and have our little family back together. I'm like a kid on Christmas, I can't sleep because I'm too excited for morning to come.

The Quest for the Perfect Christmas Card Picture

This year I was determined to have a great Christmas card picture.  We've had decent ones in the past but nothing very special.  It’s pretty much the same picture every year, Mike and I in front of our Christmas tree. We did the same pose last year for E’s first Christmas.  I wanted something different this year, something fun!  I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and it did not disappoint.  I found some great ideas and was excited for a fresh take on the Gesellchen Christmas card.  Of course Mike could care less.  When I asked him his thoughts, he was fine posing in front of the Christmas tree…again.  I ignored him and continued on with my vision.  My creative, crafty mother would be needed because as much as I strive to be a crafter, the patience just isn't there.

My vision for our Christmas card picture was to be outside by a pine tree in my parents' yard.  The three of us would hold up letters spelling out JOY.  I attempted to help my mom cut out the letters and cover in paper but it was just easier to have her do it, again, no patience.  Unfortunately, picture day turned out to be rainy and I was feeling defeated that my Christmas card vision was not going to happen.  I turned to Pinterest for plan B and found some indoor ideas, but once again we’d be posing in front of the Christmas tree. 

I wasn't thrilled with these pictures but I would make them work if the weather didn't cooperate with my outdoor vision. 

             

             


             

The next day was cold but there was a beautiful dusting of snow on the ground.  Perfect for my original outdoor vision!  Mom finished the letters and my dad helped with the staging (I wanted more snow on the tree).  

             

Lavar, the barn cat decided to join the fun too.  We couldn't get him to leave so he ended up in all of our photos. 

               

                

The Christmas card picture turned out to be quite the event but I’m happy with how they turned out so it was well worth it..random barn cat and all.   

E's 18 Month Checkup and a Peak at Baby 2

This week, E had his 18 month checkup.  My little big boy weighed in at 29.6lbs and was 34 inches tall.  90th percentile for each.  This was one of the better appointments.  E usually screams the entire time but he was brave when the Dr. was checking him over, just a few "No's!"  We did have screams and tears when he got two shots but I would be screaming too if someone held me down and shoved a needle in my leg.

E still likes his bottle and the Dr. strongly suggested we work on getting rid of it.  I admitt it, the bottle is totally a comfort thing for E so this may be an uphill battle.  He's so content after his bottle and I love the snuggle time.  But, it probably is time.  My goal is to have E bottle free by the time Baby 2 arrives.  We have about 5 months to work on that.

We got a peak at Baby 2 this week as well.  I had my 20 week ultrasound where they take all the measurements and make sure all the organs are in the right place.  Baby 2 looked good and we did not find out the gender.  I was tempted, but Mike wants his moment during the delivery to announce boy or girl.  I think we're having a boy.  Ever since E was born, I knew I wanted more kids and I just pictured myself with boys.  Rowdy, stinky boys running through my house, I feel I'm a "Boy Mom."  Only time will tell and as long as Baby 2 is healthy, boy or girl really doesn't matter.

'Tis the Season

Around this time of year there seems to be the debate that retailers push Christmas earlier and earlier each year and poor Thanksgiving gets looked over.  Especially over the past few years when retailers began opening on Thanksgiving Day.  At first stores opened at midnight, then 8pm, and now some retailers open at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day to push holiday sales.  Will Black Friday cease to exist in the near future?

I used to be a firm believer in “No Christmas until after Thanksgiving”.  I wanted to properly celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.  No decorations, no Christmas music, and certainly no Christmas tree until the Friday after.  This year is different.  My friend Carrie, who has had her Christmas tree up for weeks, inspired me by justifying that it’s more fun to celebrate the two holidays in one.  I truly enjoy the music, decorations and basically all things Christmas.  So why put it off?  Especially this year when there are only 3 weeks between the two holidays.  I've slowly started putting a few decorations up around the house and I've had Pandora playing a wonderful assortment of Christmas music.  I must admit, I’m thoroughly enjoying all the holiday cheer.  

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents a week early and because of my new approach to the holidays, we went all out.  We cooked a huge traditional Thanksgiving meal while listening to Christmas music.  We put up the tree and took our family Christmas card picture.  By embracing the holiday season as one, I honestly think I enjoyed myself more.  I also have found myself being more reflective on how blessed my life is and how thankful I am.  I don’t look at my new view as skipping Thanksgiving, but more as embracing the entire holiday season and enjoying it to the fullest.   

Now with this being said, you won’t find me out shopping on Thanksgiving Day to get an early start on my Christmas shopping.  I would much prefer to enjoy the day with my family and friends instead of random strangers looking for the best bargain.  But, I’m not opposed to the retailers being open on Thanksgiving either.  Working for a major retailer, I understand the impact holiday sales can have on a company.  Christmas time is the Super Bowl for retailers.  It’s a big deal!  If people want to shop on Thanksgiving Day, well the retailers will make that happen.  It’s simple supply and demand.  I commend the retailers that are taking a stand and refuse to be open on Thanksgiving, but I also don’t belittle those retailers that choose to be open.  Right or wrong, it’s what our society has transformed into and retailers and consumers both play parts in this ongoing debate.  

Finding Indoor Fun

We are an outside family and most of our days in the summer were spent outside.  Mike and I were worried about keeping E busy as the weather turned colder.  So far we've been finding plenty of indoor activities to keep us busy and not get too stir crazy.  Here’s what we've been up to:

Wild Rumpus Bookstore – For any family living in the Twin Cities who have yet to visit this unique store, you must go now!  This place is so much fun for kids and parents.  Not only are there plenty of books to read, but you may find yourself sharing the floor with a chicken as you read your favorite story.  Yes, there is a chicken roaming around the store along with his friend the cat.  There are also two birdcages with parrots and doves, two chinchillas, and a ferret. 

A Creative Kidstuff is just around the corner from Wild Rumpus.  This store is so much bigger than the one by our house which means lots more toys to try out.  E loved "baking cookies in the kitchen." We spent an entire morning playing at Wild Rumpus and Creative Kidstuff. 

We are also fortunate that our community has Tot Time which runs November – March.  This is hosted at the rec center and basically they convert a banquet room into a giant playroom; bouncy house included.  It’s 3 days a week for 2 hours and costs $2 per session or you can buy a pass to save some money.  We've only gone once so far but will definitely be attending again.  E’s favorite activities at Tot Time are “mowing” with a plastic mower, playing basketball and of course playing with the trucks. 

I’m trying to do more arts and crafts with E.  I found a great homemade recipe for play-doh and he also likes coloring and “painting” with shaving cream.  I tried to introduce a glue stick to E but he likes to put the glue on his finger and then have Mom wipe it off.  He did this over and over one day, I finally put the glue stick up.  We’ll save that for a later day. 

Although I would much rather have the warm summer days of splash pads and playgrounds, I’m feeling better about keeping busy during the cold winter days ahead.  This has been an opportunity to try new things with E and go on different adventures.    

Baby 2 Makes 4

                  

I love, love, love this picture!  It’s our first family picture of a family of 4.  I am so excited for this baby I can hardly wait.  April 28^th is the official due date but with the complications I had with E, I will have a scheduled C-section most likely on April 21^st.  I’m all for it.  I had an easy recovery from my C-section with E and being able to plan makes things so much easier with a toddler to take care of as well. The only bummer is that our good friends are getting married on April 26^th in Duluth and I won’t be able to attend.  Mike is a groomsman so Grandma Sharon will be helping out while Mike is gone. 

We've been doing our best to prepare E for his little brother or sister but I’m not sure how much a 17 month old understands.  He’ll point or pat my tummy and say "baby".  We got one of my old cabbage patch dolls out and talk to him about how the baby needs it’s diaper changed and we need to be gentle with the baby.  Things were going fine until one day when Mike was holding the doll while reading E a story.  E didn't care to share his Daddy, and threw the doll on the floor.  I’m sure it will be an adjustment for all of us when Baby 2 arrives but I think of how much joy E has brought our family and Baby 2 will only add more.